One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University
One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University
One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University
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1996–97<br />
during its development phase in Operations DESERT STORM and<br />
JOINT ENDEAVOR.<br />
June 25: Terrorists bombed the Khobar Towers near King Abdul-Aziz <strong>Air</strong> Base<br />
in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 <strong>USAF</strong> members and injuring some 300 other<br />
Americans in the worst terrorist attack against American military personnel<br />
since the bombing <strong>of</strong> a Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, in<br />
1983. <strong>The</strong> Americans were participating in Operation SOUTHERN<br />
WATCH to deter Iraqi aggression against Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. As a<br />
result <strong>of</strong> the bombing, most <strong>USAF</strong> personnel in Saudi Arabia moved to<br />
remoter and more easily defended sites in the desert.<br />
September 2–3: As part <strong>of</strong> Operation DESERT STRIKE, the <strong>Air</strong> Force flew<br />
B–52 Strat<strong>of</strong>ortresses to the Middle East to launch 13 cruise missiles<br />
against military targets in Iraq. This operation came in response to<br />
Iraqi troops’ seizure <strong>of</strong> the city <strong>of</strong> Irbil, located in a zone protected by<br />
the United States for Kurds in northern Iraq.<br />
September 3: <strong>The</strong> 11th Reconnaissance Squadron began operating the<br />
RQ–1B Predator, an unmanned aerial vehicle designed for aerial surveillance<br />
and reconnaissance, over Bosnia-Herzegovina.<br />
September 15: Operation PACIFIC HAVEN commenced. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Air</strong> Force airlifted<br />
thousands <strong>of</strong> refugees driven from their homes in northern Iraq<br />
to Andersen <strong>Air</strong> Force Base, Guam, where they were processed for settlement<br />
in the United States.<br />
1997<br />
January 1: Operation NORTHERN WATCH replaced Operation PROVIDE<br />
COMFORT, enforcing a no-fly zone in northern Iraq above the 36th<br />
parallel <strong>of</strong> latitude.<br />
January 6: <strong>The</strong> <strong>Air</strong> Force commissioned Abdullah Hamza Al-Mubarek, its<br />
first Muslim chaplain candidate.<br />
January 31: This date marked the activation <strong>of</strong> the 31st <strong>Air</strong> Expeditionary<br />
Wing—the first expeditionary wing in the <strong>Air</strong> Force. Such wings would<br />
be available for rotational deployments worldwide.<br />
February 17: <strong>The</strong> <strong>Air</strong> Force Reserve became a major command—the <strong>Air</strong><br />
Force Reserve Command—reflecting the growing integration <strong>of</strong><br />
Reserve and regular forces and the increasing role <strong>of</strong> the Reserve in<br />
regular <strong>USAF</strong> operations.<br />
February 18–March 3: In Operation ASSURED LIFT, the <strong>Air</strong> Force airlifted<br />
African peacekeeping forces to Liberia to restore order after a civil war<br />
there. Five C–130s <strong>of</strong> the 37th <strong>Air</strong>lift Squadron, 3d <strong>Air</strong> Expeditionary<br />
150